


But She's A Cheerleader

by samdil



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, cheerleader!eddie, punk!richie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-01-17 12:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12365691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samdil/pseuds/samdil
Summary: Eddie Kaspbrak is  a senior in high school with a lot of promise in his future. He has the "perfect" girl, good grades, and a few good friends. Sure he isn't the most popular kid in school, but he's happy. All of that changes though when his mother, friends, even his own girlfriend think he's gay. All because he wants to be a cheerleader. When he arrives he meets a bunch of interesting characters, the most interesting being Richie Tozier, a complete trashmouth who unlike the rest, doesn't want to fix what's clearly wrong with him. Based on the film "But I'm a Cheerleader"





	1. Chapter 1:

**Author's Note:**

> AHHHH! I'm so excited about this fic you don't even know. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! Leave a comment, kudos, and share it with your friends if you do!

Eddie sat in the bleachers as his girlfriend was wrapping up her cheerleading practice. He heard the head cheerleader say something about donuts and being at the school at 7:30 Saturday morning to head to the football playoffs upstate. Eddie never really understood the appeal of football at all. Or why anyone would be so dedicated to cheering on the players. However, something always fascinated Eddie about cheerleading as a sport. Maybe it was the fun beats, or maybe it’s because it was a sport that was invented just to make people feel good; nothing more nothing less. Something about that concept always made Eddie want to try cheerleading, which he’s brought up to his girlfriend in passing. Just to see what she’d say “I would love to have you on the team Eddie bear, but this is Derry, and Derry wouldn’t be as supportive as me” Needless to say, his excuse that he wants to look at pretty girls in short skirts got him the silent treatment for nearly a week. She was right though, Derry wasn’t exactly a progressive town to live in, and given that Eddie was never the most masculine of men anyway, cheerleading would only make the already present rumors worse. _I’m not gay though_ , Eddie thought to himself. _So why should it matter?_ He was pulled out of his thoughts by Jenna tugging on his wrist

“Hey, Eddie bear!” She exclaimed, hardly sweaty from the hour-long practice.  
“Hey, babe. How was practice?” He said, grabbing onto the small of her back, pulling her close and placing a gentle kiss on the forehead.  
“It went fine.” she pulled herself away from him and walked beside him to his car.  
“Can you believe it? First time in 27 years that Derry High is making it to the state championships!”  
“Eh, you know I don’t really care about that kind of stuff.”  
“Awh Eddie, no fun. So what pray tell will you be doing Saturday instead of being normal?”  
_I am normal. Why does everyone think otherwise?_  
He laughed it off, “Oh you know. Just the usual, homework, work. Stressing over college.”  
She pouted, “Awh, you’re stressed? I have the perfect solution.”  
She tapped his nose and pulled him by the arm through the parking lot before making him unlock the car doors. Once the two of them were in the front seat of the old convertible, Jenna had attached her lips to his. It was wet, slobbery and nothing about it made Eddie want to kiss back. In fact, all he wanted to do was to pull away. He turned his face away from hers.  
“Jen, I-I need to get home for dinner.”  
“You can’t stay here with me for a little bit? Not even five minutes?”  
She may be a horrendous kisser, but he really didn’t like seeing her upset. She was a decent enough girl. He supposed he loved her. If love meant preferring to see them happy just so you didn’t have to deal with them being angry,  
“I mean I guess I could…”  
She let out a suggestive chuckle before reattaching her lips to his. He couldn’t help but think if this is how other girls kissed their boyfriends, or more if this is how most guys kissed their girlfriends. His friends said they thought kissing their girlfriends was hot. She had to be doing something wrong for him to hate it so much. He thinks back to the football captain, Mike Hanlon and how happy he is when he kisses his girlfriend. He thought about how it was gentle and it was almost as if they were one, in sync. What must it be like to kiss him?  
_That’s Normal. Everyone wonders these things, right?_ Eddie thought to himself, that’s all it was after all. Curiosity. Jenna moved her lips from his mouth to his jawline and that’s where he drew the line. Pulling away from her kisses.  
“Jen. I-I really should get home”  
“Fine.”  
She rolled her eyes and pulled away from him, placing herself as far away from him as she could get in the small car. He sighed and created even more of a distance between the two before turning the keys in the ignition.  
\-----  
Eddie sat at the dinner table as his mother prepared his plate, putting a huge chicken breast on his plate along with the vegetables already on his plate.  
“Eddie, you need to eat meat. You’re fragile enough already. Please?” She pleaded as she did at every meal.  
Eddie pushed the meat away from the rest of the food on the plate, grimacing at the oils it left behind in the spot it once was, “Ma, I tell you every night. I’m fine.”  
“Eddie, please. You’re wasting food.”  
Eddie shrugged his shoulders and dug into his serving of mashed potatoes.  
“I don’t know what happened to my sweet Eddie. You won’t take your pills anymore, and now this. One day you’ll be sorry that you didn’t listen to me.”  
He shrugged again and continued eating his dinner. They had this discussion almost every night, one would think she’d give up by now, but if anything she got more persistent. Serving up fewer vegetables at every dinner trying to force him into eating what was on his plate, whether he liked it or not. At this point, he was shocked she hadn’t stopped serving them all together. He quickly ate his dinner, anxious to get up to his room and avoid his overbearing mother.  
\-----  
Eddie’s entire day was strange. It all started when his alarm went off to get up for school, as usual; and his mother came in to check if he was awake, as usual.  
“You up Eddie?” She asked, sounding off in a way that Eddie couldn’t quite place. He just knew he had a bad feeling about it.  
“Yea mom. I’m up.” He said, rolling out of bed slowly and turning off his alarm.  
“Okay. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”  
“Okay, ma.”  
She turned away and closed the door behind her, something she’s never done before today. Eddie thought nothing of it, maybe his mother was finally learning the word privacy. He should be grateful if anything. He threw on an oversized school sweater that had the words ‘GO RAIDERS!’ printed onto the front along with the cleanest pair of jeans he could find on the floor of his messy room and he brushed his curls into something manageable before heading downstairs.  
“Hey, mommy” he went up behind her and kissed her cheek before quickly grabbing his lunch and heading out the door. Mrs. Kaspbrak watched him go, hoping she was making the right choice.  
He put his book bag and lunch in the back seat of his car and got into the driver's seat, turning the keys in the ignition and driving to Jen’s house to pick her up from her house. When the car started, so did his radio. Some song he put on a playlist for Jen a while back started playing. It wasn’t even a real song per se, it’s from that old Adam Sandler movie The Wedding Singer.  
_‘Oh it could be so nice, growin' old with you’_  
Sure, he knew they wouldn’t grow old together. They were only in high school, and Eddie knew they weren’t truly in love, or at least he wasn’t. That’s why Eddie didn’t really take the playlist all too seriously. Just kind of putting what he could think of at the time onto the cd. Even if he was in love, they’re only 18. Making any commitment to anyone at his age was irresponsible. He still had to go to college and find out exactly where he was going in life before he tried dragging someone into it forever. He pulled up to her house and she was already waiting on her porch. She rushed into the car and pecked his cheek.  
“Awh, you’re listening to the playlist you made me. How sweet” She clicked in her seatbelt and Eddie began driving in the direction of the school.  
“Hey babe, I-I’m not feeling too good, can we skip school?” She pleaded.  
“I mean you can, I can turn around and drop you off at home, but I really need to go to school.”  
She pouted, “but I want my boyfriend to take care of me. Please? Have someone send you the notes.”  
He looked at her briefly and sighed, she didn’t look sick at all, but she’d probably be angry if he didn’t eventually give in, “Can’t someone take care of you at home?”  
“Nobody’s home to babe. Please? Pretty please? I’ll give you anything you want.”  
“Fine. Let’s go.” He turned the car around and back in the direction of his house, where his strange morning was about to become the worst day of his life.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie's family finds the need to intervene on an important issue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Kudos/comment/share if you like it!

 Mrs. Kaspbrak stood in the living room, nervously pacing back and forth wondering if she was truly making the right decision sending Eddie away to this camp. Her son may be more feminine than other boys his age, but maybe accusing him of being gay was a step too far. What proof did she have to be making these accusations anyway? She thought back to the video she was sent when she first considered sending him away to the True Directions program. Changes in diet? Check. Gay idolization? Check. His friends said he had pictures of male models in his locker, and most obvious of all, he absolutely hated kissing his girlfriend. Eddie hated germs though, that’s all, but everyone told her that her son needed to be “set right” and all she wants is what’s best for her son. She heard that Hanlon boy was being sent as well for his tendencies to experiment with boys as well as girls. If she wasn’t the only one sending her boy away, surely she wasn’t going to be judged for her actions, but Eddie was all she had and if he resented her for this, she’d never forgive herself. She was about to call and call off the whole intervention when the doorbell rang. She went to the door and answered it to find a tall, fit man at the door wearing a ‘Str8 is Gr8’ t-shirt and high waisted blue shorts. She moved to the side to allow him in and closed the door behind the both of them.

   “Hello Mrs. Kaspbrak, is everything ready?” He smiled at her, a smile that seemed to show that all he wanted was to help. A smile she could trust with her son. 

   She smiled back, “Please, call me Sonia. We’re just waiting on Eddie’s friends. Eddie should be home any moment so I hope they’re here soon.” 

   “I can tell you’re nervous. Just remember this is what’s best for him, and that we’re not accusing him. We’re here to help.” 

   She nodded and took a few deep breaths to prepare for what was about to happen. 

\-----

Eddie drove down the road, slowly by Jenna’s request. Threatening to throw up all over his seats if he didn’t drive slower, once again sounding completely fine. Eddie wasn’t so sure she was actually sick, but he’d rather be safe than have his car puked in and be forced to clean it up. Sure he wasn’t terrified of germs the way he used to be, but that doesn’t mean the thought of cleaning up his girlfriend’s vomit wasn’t enough to make himself sick. He turned onto his street and parked his car in front of his house. Jenna got out of the car, once again, completely okay. By this point, Eddie knew she was okay, and that something was up, but he couldn’t place what it was and nothing could have prepared him for what was actually about to happen. 

Eddie turned the knob and entered his house, Jenna stepping in directly after him. Almost everyone he knew was there. Friends, aunts, uncles, and a man he didn’t know at all. Eddie gulped,

“What happened? Is someone dead? Who is he?” He pointed to the strange man.

“Eddie, my name is Michael. I’m here to help facilitate a dialogue today.” 

He looked around the room, he saw nothing but faces who pitied him, who looked like they wanted to help, and yet he couldn’t help but feel that everyone in the room was hostile. His chest was tightening,  _ why isn’t anyone telling me what the fuck is going on? _ He thought to himself. 

“Why won’t somebody tell me what’s going on?” 

Michael stood up and grabbed his hands, trying to console him, “Eddie, I think it's a good idea you sat down. We want to talk to you about something.” He seemed nice enough, but he also carried a condescending tone, the kind of tone a teacher takes with a child throwing a tantrum in class.

He stared at him for a moment, not sure if he really should or not. He shot a look towards his mother. She nodded her head, Michael sat back down, and Eddie followed. 

Sonia spoke up first, “Now Eddie, I just want you to know, we’re all here because we love you and support you. We want what’s best for you. It’s just that we, we think that you may have been influenced a certain way. With this being the social media era and all, it’s very easy to be confused and none of us are blaming you, but-”

Jenna cut her off, cutting to the chase that Sonia would have taken forever to reach, “We’re here because we think you’re gay.”

Eddie broke out into laughter, “That’s-That’s really good you guys. You think I’m gay I-I” he burst out again, taking a moment to recollect himself before speaking up again, “but seriously. What’s going on?” 

   He looked around and saw that nobody was laughing with him, his smile dropped just as his stomach did, “Wait, are you serious? I’m not gay. Why would you think that?” 

   Everyone looked around at each other, waiting for someone to speak up. Michael took the lead once again. 

“I come from a program called True Directions. We take confused children such as yourself and show them the healthy alternatives to their choices to be gay. As a program, we were able to figure out the warning signs that a child might be following an unholy path. Your mother says you show many of them.” 

Eddie laughed incredulously, turning to look his mother in the eyes, “and what might those be?” 

She looked down, trying to avoid Eddie’s scornful gaze, “Well, you always try to get me to eat that tofu, stuff,” 

Michael chimed in, “In diet, look for major changes such as vegetarianism or veganism.” 

She continued, “You idolize other homosexuals.” 

If Eddie’s chest wasn’t tight before, it was now. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. He wanted his inhaler, but if he showed any weakness they might take it as another “sign” he was gay. Instead, he rolled his eyes and tried to keep himself from crying as he spoke up, 

“So? I’m gay because I have a poster of David Bowie in my room? I like his music. That’s it.” 

His friend Gabriel was next to speak up, “Puh-lease, I see you ogling at the pictures of him in your locker every day.” 

Eddie blushed and looked down. He didn’t think anyone had noticed that. _ It’s not that I think he’s hot. He’s just everything I want to be. So cool, confident, to have everyone chasing after me. _ Or at least that’s how he always thought of it. He kept these thoughts to himself, knowing that nobody would believe him. 

“Eddie, you want to be a cheerleader, that’s not normal,” Jenna told him, trying not to sound bitter at him and failing miserably. 

“I just think it’s fun. I like making people happy. That’s what cheerleading is all about.” He breathed deeply and looked up again, facing everyone in the room, “Guys this is ridiculous. I have a girlfriend. You all know her, and she’s a cheerleader! I wouldn’t want to throw that away to kiss  _ guys. _ ” 

“Then why don’t you like to kiss me?” She asked. 

“Because you’re a terrible kisser!” He snapped. When he realized what he said he wished he could take it back. He never meant to tell her that. He never wanted to hurt her feelings, but he’s pretty sure after today they’d be over anyway. The room was deadly quiet, staring at Eddie for his outburst. It was uncalled for, he knew that. Even he didn’t know why he said it. 

Michael cleared his throat, “Look, Eddie, I myself was once a gay. Denial is normal for situations like this, but with help from True Directions you can be normal and be back on God’s path to heaven. Just like I did. I’ve been an ex-gay for 10 years now and I’m sure you can do just as well for yourself.” 

Eddie stood up and glared at everyone in the room, and everyone still giving him the pitiful look from earlier, “I’m not going.” 

If only saying “no” could have actually meant something. He knew he was going. Whether he liked it or not. 

 


	3. Announcement

So I think it’s only fair to make this announcement, because I made it on tumblr months ago, but I just forgot to make it here. I lost all motivation to work on this fic. I wish I knew why, but I came back from a school hiatus, and I didn’t want to do it anymore. That being said, I will still be writing one shots and maybe one day a full out fic again (I have an idea for a stenbrough one if I can get the motivation). I hope you can understand.   
Thank you,  
-samdil


End file.
